An excerpt from the AP -
Only on AP: For NFL players, racial profiling often personal
By ERRIN HAINES WHACK and FRED GOODALL
A son who saw a police officer hold a gun to his father’s head. A husband whose wife was pulled over driving a Bentley.
These unsettling scenes are among the stories from some of the NFL’s marquee players, multimillionaires sharing tales of racial profiling by law enforcement. It is a troubling concern for people of color that has been at the center of the protests begun in August 2016 by former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
The protests have waned, but the ongoing issue for players — and the black communities they come from — has not.
The Associated Press surveyed 56 of the 59 black players at last weekend’s Pro Bowl game as part of its look at how African-American athletes have long used their sports platforms to effect social and political change. The AP asked the players whether they or someone they knew have ever experienced racial profiling.
All said yes.
https://apnews.com/986f72af56b44b9f9ec9efc824a33cbb
Friday, February 2, 2018
Weasels and Liars
An excerpt from the Huffington Post -
James Comey Defends FBI, Says History Will Catch Up To ‘Weasels And Liars’
“Not a lot of schools or streets named for Joe McCarthy,” the ex-FBI director said.
By Lydia O’Connor
Former FBI Director James Comey broke his silence on the White House’s efforts to a release a secret Republican memo alleging FBI bias against President Donald Trump, tweeting Thursday that “weasels and liars” will reap what they sow.
“All should appreciate the FBI speaking up. I wish more of our leaders would,” Comey wrote in reference to the agency’s strong opposition to releasing the memo crafted by Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee.
Comey’s mention of “the FBI speaking up” is a reference to a statement the bureau issued on Wednesday that effectively said the GOP-authored memo was nonsense. The statement said he bureau had “grave concerns about material omissions of fact that fundamentally impact the memo’s accuracy.”
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/comey-nunes-fbi-memo_us_5a739ba3e4b06ee97af107ac
James Comey Defends FBI, Says History Will Catch Up To ‘Weasels And Liars’
“Not a lot of schools or streets named for Joe McCarthy,” the ex-FBI director said.
By Lydia O’Connor
Former FBI Director James Comey broke his silence on the White House’s efforts to a release a secret Republican memo alleging FBI bias against President Donald Trump, tweeting Thursday that “weasels and liars” will reap what they sow.
“All should appreciate the FBI speaking up. I wish more of our leaders would,” Comey wrote in reference to the agency’s strong opposition to releasing the memo crafted by Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee.
Comey’s mention of “the FBI speaking up” is a reference to a statement the bureau issued on Wednesday that effectively said the GOP-authored memo was nonsense. The statement said he bureau had “grave concerns about material omissions of fact that fundamentally impact the memo’s accuracy.”
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/comey-nunes-fbi-memo_us_5a739ba3e4b06ee97af107ac
Sanitized History
An excerpt from the Huffington Post -
American Students Aren’t Learning The Full Truth About Slavery
Students often get only a superficial view of the atrocity that built the country, a new study finds.
By Rebecca Klein
American students are being taught an inadequate and often sanitized version of history when it comes to slavery, according to a new report.
The report, from the Southern Poverty Law Center, looks at how slavery is presented in K-12 classrooms and found that students are often taught a deeply incomplete version of events. Students learn inspirational stories ― about figures like Harriet Tubman and good Samaritans who helped slaves reach freedom in the underground railroad ― before they learn about the horrors of enslavement. When they learn about slavery, it is often presented as an isolated, albeit unfortunate phenomenon, disconnected from white supremacist ideologies that abetted it and the racism that continues as a pervasive part of American life today.
Only 8 percent of high school seniors surveyed by an independent polling firm for the study identified slavery as the primary reason for the Civil War. Almost half identified tax protests as the main cause.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/schools-teaching-slavery_us_5a7243cbe4b03699143f144f
American Students Aren’t Learning The Full Truth About Slavery
Students often get only a superficial view of the atrocity that built the country, a new study finds.
By Rebecca Klein
American students are being taught an inadequate and often sanitized version of history when it comes to slavery, according to a new report.
The report, from the Southern Poverty Law Center, looks at how slavery is presented in K-12 classrooms and found that students are often taught a deeply incomplete version of events. Students learn inspirational stories ― about figures like Harriet Tubman and good Samaritans who helped slaves reach freedom in the underground railroad ― before they learn about the horrors of enslavement. When they learn about slavery, it is often presented as an isolated, albeit unfortunate phenomenon, disconnected from white supremacist ideologies that abetted it and the racism that continues as a pervasive part of American life today.
Only 8 percent of high school seniors surveyed by an independent polling firm for the study identified slavery as the primary reason for the Civil War. Almost half identified tax protests as the main cause.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/schools-teaching-slavery_us_5a7243cbe4b03699143f144f
Black Vegans Rejoice
An excerpt from Essence -
This Black-Owned Vegan Restaurant is Helping Brooklyn Become Greener, One Meal and Juice at a Time
By SIRAAD DIRSHE
In many inner-city communities, particularly low-income ones, access to healthy food options is still very limited. It's oftentimes easier and much cheaper to find a fast food hamburger, then say a salad. Twenty-one-year-old Francesca “Sol” Chaney noticed this inequality and thought it unfair.
"The wellness community can be really classist," Chaney tells ESSENCE. "Our intention [with Sol Sips] is to make organic plant-based beverage and bites available to everyone," she says.
As a full-time student, who worked three jobs, Chaney found herself constantly on the hunt for nutrient dense food that she could consume quickly. "At the time, I had just moved out on my own and began brewing teas and making juices and smoothies. I saw that they were working and I was feeling more energized and lighter," she says. So she began making her newly minted recipes for friends and family.
https://www.essence.com/beauty/black-owned-vegan-restaurant-brooklyn-sol-sips
This Black-Owned Vegan Restaurant is Helping Brooklyn Become Greener, One Meal and Juice at a Time
By SIRAAD DIRSHE
In many inner-city communities, particularly low-income ones, access to healthy food options is still very limited. It's oftentimes easier and much cheaper to find a fast food hamburger, then say a salad. Twenty-one-year-old Francesca “Sol” Chaney noticed this inequality and thought it unfair.
"The wellness community can be really classist," Chaney tells ESSENCE. "Our intention [with Sol Sips] is to make organic plant-based beverage and bites available to everyone," she says.
As a full-time student, who worked three jobs, Chaney found herself constantly on the hunt for nutrient dense food that she could consume quickly. "At the time, I had just moved out on my own and began brewing teas and making juices and smoothies. I saw that they were working and I was feeling more energized and lighter," she says. So she began making her newly minted recipes for friends and family.
https://www.essence.com/beauty/black-owned-vegan-restaurant-brooklyn-sol-sips
Thursday, February 1, 2018
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
Damn!
From the Huffington Post -
Donald Trump Jr. Fails Miserably In Twitter War With Joy Reid
Junior brought a slingshot. Reid had brought an arsenal.
By David Moye
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-jr-joy-reid-twitter-war_us_5a722c1ce4b03699143ef9ae?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009
Donald Trump Jr. Fails Miserably In Twitter War With Joy Reid
Junior brought a slingshot. Reid had brought an arsenal.
By David Moye
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-jr-joy-reid-twitter-war_us_5a722c1ce4b03699143ef9ae?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009
A Shameful History
From Atlas Obscura -
How Photographers Captured the Incarceration of Japanese Americans During WWII
A new exhibition examines a dark history.
BY ANIKA BURGESS
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/how-photographer-captured-incarceration-japanese-americans-wwii-miyatake-lange-adams-albers
How Photographers Captured the Incarceration of Japanese Americans During WWII
A new exhibition examines a dark history.
BY ANIKA BURGESS
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/how-photographer-captured-incarceration-japanese-americans-wwii-miyatake-lange-adams-albers
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
Monday, January 29, 2018
Spreading Joy
From the Huffington Post -
I Just Had The Most Surreal — And Profound — Flight Attendant Experience In My Life
By Noah Michelson
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/jetblue-flight-attendant-surreal-zach_us_5a6dc1f1e4b0ddb658c744c0?section=us_huffpost-personal
I Just Had The Most Surreal — And Profound — Flight Attendant Experience In My Life
By Noah Michelson
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/jetblue-flight-attendant-surreal-zach_us_5a6dc1f1e4b0ddb658c744c0?section=us_huffpost-personal
Petra
As beautiful as these photos are, they don't capture the absolute splendor of this place. It is truly spectacular.
From USA Today -
https://www.usatoday.com/picture-gallery/travel/destinations/2018/01/26/petra-jordan-beautiful-photos-of-the-rose-city/109802270/
From USA Today -
https://www.usatoday.com/picture-gallery/travel/destinations/2018/01/26/petra-jordan-beautiful-photos-of-the-rose-city/109802270/
Having Fun With Architecture
From CNN -
Mimetic architecture: Why does this building look like a fish?
By Cathy Adams
http://www.cnn.com/style/article/mimetic-architecture-osm/index.html
Mimetic architecture: Why does this building look like a fish?
By Cathy Adams
http://www.cnn.com/style/article/mimetic-architecture-osm/index.html
King Louie
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/animalkind/2018/01/28/cat-so-popular-he-has-over-10-owners/1070343001/
Saturday, January 27, 2018
Friday, January 26, 2018
When the Lifesaving Gadget Puts You In Jail
An excerpt from Gizmodo -
What Happens When the Computer That Keeps You Alive Can Also Put You In Jail?
By Kristen V. Brown
When Ross Compton’s Ohio home caught fire last September, the story he told police was that he grabbed a few things and rushed out of the house, hurling essentials out a bedroom window he broke open with his cane before scrambling out himself.
Police, though, were suspicious. Compton’s few things had included a computer, a suitcase packed with clothes and the charger for the external heart pump that he needed to survive. It seemed unlikely that a 59-year-old man with a pacemaker and a heart pump would have been able to gather all those things and make it out of a burning house alive. But police were stumped on how exactly to make arson charges stick.
In the end, it was his pacemaker that did him in.
After obtaining a search warrant for all the electronic data stored in Compton’s pacemaker, police determined that his device did not corroborate his story. His heart rate, pacer demand and cardiac rhythms all suggested that Compton had not in fact quickly bundled up all his most prized possessions and left in a hurry as his house went up in flames. Last month, with the help of the pacemaker data, he was indicted on charges of aggravated arson and insurance fraud.
Privacy issues are moving under our skin—now the devices that keep us alive and healthy can also be used against us in the court of law.
https://gizmodo.com/what-happens-when-the-computer-that-keeps-you-alive-can-1792236550
What Happens When the Computer That Keeps You Alive Can Also Put You In Jail?
By Kristen V. Brown
When Ross Compton’s Ohio home caught fire last September, the story he told police was that he grabbed a few things and rushed out of the house, hurling essentials out a bedroom window he broke open with his cane before scrambling out himself.
Police, though, were suspicious. Compton’s few things had included a computer, a suitcase packed with clothes and the charger for the external heart pump that he needed to survive. It seemed unlikely that a 59-year-old man with a pacemaker and a heart pump would have been able to gather all those things and make it out of a burning house alive. But police were stumped on how exactly to make arson charges stick.
In the end, it was his pacemaker that did him in.
After obtaining a search warrant for all the electronic data stored in Compton’s pacemaker, police determined that his device did not corroborate his story. His heart rate, pacer demand and cardiac rhythms all suggested that Compton had not in fact quickly bundled up all his most prized possessions and left in a hurry as his house went up in flames. Last month, with the help of the pacemaker data, he was indicted on charges of aggravated arson and insurance fraud.
Privacy issues are moving under our skin—now the devices that keep us alive and healthy can also be used against us in the court of law.
https://gizmodo.com/what-happens-when-the-computer-that-keeps-you-alive-can-1792236550
Thursday, January 25, 2018
Run, Don't Walk
From Business Insider -
Relationship experts say these are the 8 red flags to look out for when you start dating someone — and some are surprisingly common
By Lindsay Dodgson
http://www.businessinsider.com/relationship-red-flags-you-should-look-out-for-2018-1/#1-you-justify-their-bad-behaviour-1
Relationship experts say these are the 8 red flags to look out for when you start dating someone — and some are surprisingly common
By Lindsay Dodgson
http://www.businessinsider.com/relationship-red-flags-you-should-look-out-for-2018-1/#1-you-justify-their-bad-behaviour-1
Racing For Many
An excerpt from the Washington Post -
From Ghana to Virginia to PyeongChang: Maame Biney’s long journey on short track
By Rick Maese
Biney, 17, is the first African American woman to ever qualify for an American Olympic speedskating team, and at the PyeongChang Games she promises to be one of the most charismatic members of the U.S. Olympic team. Her journey to the Winter Games is like few others. Her father often jokes that in Ghana, ice is used solely to keep beer cold, so his daughter's chosen pursuit might draw some confused looks back in the country of her birth. Even in the United States, short-track speedskating is a niche sport that pokes its head into the mainstream every four years.
But when the PyeongChang Games begin next month in South Korea, the spotlight will find Biney. NBC will make her a focal point in the Olympics' opening week, certain her story will connect with American viewers: the youngest woman on the U.S. short-track team, a possible medal contender who can connect with youth, with African Americans, with sports fans of all backgrounds.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/classic-apps/from-ghana-to-virginia-to-pyeongchang-maame-bineys-long-journey-on-short-track/2018/01/23/206aa13a-fa29-11e7-8f66-2df0b94bb98a_story.html?utm_term=.abb48b5f99a9
From Ghana to Virginia to PyeongChang: Maame Biney’s long journey on short track
By Rick Maese
Biney, 17, is the first African American woman to ever qualify for an American Olympic speedskating team, and at the PyeongChang Games she promises to be one of the most charismatic members of the U.S. Olympic team. Her journey to the Winter Games is like few others. Her father often jokes that in Ghana, ice is used solely to keep beer cold, so his daughter's chosen pursuit might draw some confused looks back in the country of her birth. Even in the United States, short-track speedskating is a niche sport that pokes its head into the mainstream every four years.
But when the PyeongChang Games begin next month in South Korea, the spotlight will find Biney. NBC will make her a focal point in the Olympics' opening week, certain her story will connect with American viewers: the youngest woman on the U.S. short-track team, a possible medal contender who can connect with youth, with African Americans, with sports fans of all backgrounds.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/classic-apps/from-ghana-to-virginia-to-pyeongchang-maame-bineys-long-journey-on-short-track/2018/01/23/206aa13a-fa29-11e7-8f66-2df0b94bb98a_story.html?utm_term=.abb48b5f99a9
Sharing Kindness
From Buzzfeed -
People Are Sharing The Kindest Things Strangers Have Ever Done For Them And The Stories Will Warm Your Heart
You never know what a big difference a little kindness can make.
By Julie Gerstein
https://www.buzzfeed.com/juliegerstein/people-are-sharing-the-kindest-things-strangers-have-ever?utm_term=.xgZN2Eyx3#.byZNb7ZqB
People Are Sharing The Kindest Things Strangers Have Ever Done For Them And The Stories Will Warm Your Heart
You never know what a big difference a little kindness can make.
By Julie Gerstein
https://www.buzzfeed.com/juliegerstein/people-are-sharing-the-kindest-things-strangers-have-ever?utm_term=.xgZN2Eyx3#.byZNb7ZqB
No Sh*t Sherlock
An excerpt from the Slatest -
Report: Tourism to the U.S. Down 4 Percent Since Trump Took Office
By MOLLY OLMSTEAD
Travel to the U.S. has been declining since Donald Trump took office, leading to a cost of $4.6 billion in spending and 40,000 jobs, according to NBC News.
A report by the National Travel and Tourism Office found that last year saw 4 percent less travel into the U.S., translating into 3.3 percent less spending, NBC reported. As a result, Spain has overtaken the U.S. as the second-most visited country in the world after France.
This “Trump Slump” in part stems from the president’s anti-immigration language. More intense security and a weaker dollar likely also played a role.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/01/donald-trump-hurting-us-tourism-according-to-report.html?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=traffic&utm_source=TheSlatest_newsletter&sid=554654ea10defb39638b510d
Report: Tourism to the U.S. Down 4 Percent Since Trump Took Office
By MOLLY OLMSTEAD
Travel to the U.S. has been declining since Donald Trump took office, leading to a cost of $4.6 billion in spending and 40,000 jobs, according to NBC News.
A report by the National Travel and Tourism Office found that last year saw 4 percent less travel into the U.S., translating into 3.3 percent less spending, NBC reported. As a result, Spain has overtaken the U.S. as the second-most visited country in the world after France.
This “Trump Slump” in part stems from the president’s anti-immigration language. More intense security and a weaker dollar likely also played a role.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/01/donald-trump-hurting-us-tourism-according-to-report.html?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=traffic&utm_source=TheSlatest_newsletter&sid=554654ea10defb39638b510d
New Oral HIV Test
An excerpt from 2Paragraphs -
Stanford Scientists Develop New Oral HIV Test for Early Detection
by 2Paragraphs in Daily Edition
Getting blood from a potentially infected person is not as easy as getting saliva. Let’s start there. Many people and cultures resist syringes — and drawing blood, even for those who don’t resist on principle, is a more cumbersome process than collecting spit in a cup. Problem is: it’s a lot easier to detect early stage HIV in blood than in saliva. While the antibodies that develop to fight the virus are hard to miss in a blood sample, in a saliva sample it’s less easy to detect HIV antibodies. (Fewer HIV antibodies are present in saliva, especially near the beginning of the infection.) Enter Stanford University chemists, working with the Alameda County Public Health Laboratory. The chemists, led by Stanford professor Carolyn Bertozzi, developed a way to get those HIV antibodies in saliva to act in a way that made them detectable.
https://2paragraphs.com/2018/01/stanford-scientists-develop-new-oral-hiv-test-for-early-detection/
Stanford Scientists Develop New Oral HIV Test for Early Detection
by 2Paragraphs in Daily Edition
 |
| Oraquick, an oral HIV test on the market today (photo by Marcello Casal JR/ABr via Wikimedia Commons) |
Getting blood from a potentially infected person is not as easy as getting saliva. Let’s start there. Many people and cultures resist syringes — and drawing blood, even for those who don’t resist on principle, is a more cumbersome process than collecting spit in a cup. Problem is: it’s a lot easier to detect early stage HIV in blood than in saliva. While the antibodies that develop to fight the virus are hard to miss in a blood sample, in a saliva sample it’s less easy to detect HIV antibodies. (Fewer HIV antibodies are present in saliva, especially near the beginning of the infection.) Enter Stanford University chemists, working with the Alameda County Public Health Laboratory. The chemists, led by Stanford professor Carolyn Bertozzi, developed a way to get those HIV antibodies in saliva to act in a way that made them detectable.
https://2paragraphs.com/2018/01/stanford-scientists-develop-new-oral-hiv-test-for-early-detection/
Tuesday, January 23, 2018
Monday, January 22, 2018
Sunday, January 21, 2018
Magnificent Rocks
From National Geographic -
Magnificent Ancient Buildings Hewn From Living Rock
From towering temples to artistic tombs, humans have been carving structures from cliff faces and mountainsides for thousands of years.
By Kristin Romey
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/proof/2018/01/structures-carved-from-rock/
Magnificent Ancient Buildings Hewn From Living Rock
From towering temples to artistic tombs, humans have been carving structures from cliff faces and mountainsides for thousands of years.
By Kristin Romey
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/proof/2018/01/structures-carved-from-rock/
An Aussie Winner
"I feel really happy but kind of sorry, because I know all of you wanted Ash to win!"— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 20, 2018
A very classy interview after a very classy performance. On @Naomi_Osaka_ goes! #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/U5XOs7OefK
https://www.essence.com/celebrity/tennis-haitian-japanese-naomi-osaka
Saturday, January 20, 2018
Black Appalachians
Affrilachians: The FSA Photography of Ben Shahn & Marion Post Wolcott
http://johnedwinmason.typepad.com/john_edwin_mason_photogra/2014/02/shahn-wolcott-affrilachian.html
http://johnedwinmason.typepad.com/john_edwin_mason_photogra/2014/02/shahn-wolcott-affrilachian.html
Friday, January 19, 2018
U.S.A. For Africa - We Are the World
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/we-are-the-world-a-minute-by-minute-breakdown-30th-anniversary-20150306
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